Twilio Partners With Singtel to Deliver Secure, Branded RCS Messaging for Businesses in Singapore

Rhea-AI Summary

Twilio (NYSE: TWLO) has announced a strategic partnership with Singtel to provide businesses in Singapore with Rich Communications Services (RCS) Business Messaging. This marks Twilio's first RCS offering in Asia.

According to Twilio's 2024 Consumer Preferences report, 79% of Singapore consumers trust brand communications more with verification badges, while 68% find branded text messages more trustworthy. The partnership enables secure, branded messaging directly in mobile inboxes.

Key features include:

• Automatic SMS to RCS upgrades on supported devices
• Cost-effective pricing for messages up to 160 UTF-8 characters
• Immediate testing capabilities through Twilio Console
• Zero code changes required for implementation
• Enhanced metrics with read receipt tracking

Positive

• First expansion of RCS Business Messaging into Asian market
• No additional cost for RCS vs SMS for messages up to 160 characters
• Zero implementation costs with no code changes required
• Enhanced tracking capabilities with read receipt metrics

Negative

• to supported devices only
• Character limit of 160 UTF-8 for standard pricing

Insights

Communications Technology Expert

Twilio's partnership with Singtel to offer Rich Communications Services (RCS) Business Messaging in Singapore represents a meaningful technological advancement in business-to-consumer communications for the region. The implementation enables companies to deploy trusted, verified messaging that addresses growing consumer concerns around messaging security and authenticity, with Twilio's research showing 79% of Singapore consumers trust brands more when messages include verification badges.

The technical architecture of this offering is particularly noteworthy. Twilio's platform intelligently upgrades standard SMS to RCS on compatible devices with zero code changes required for businesses that have already implemented Twilio's messaging APIs. This frictionless implementation path significantly reduces adoption barriers while maintaining pricing parity with SMS for messages under 160 characters, creating a compelling value proposition.

Singapore represents Twilio's first Asian market for RCS deployment after establishing the service in seven Western markets. The timing aligns with increasing regional demand for richer, more secure messaging experiences that bridge the gap between traditional SMS and over-the-top messaging applications. For businesses using this service, the addition of read receipts and enhanced engagement metrics offers valuable data-driven insights previously unavailable through standard SMS channels.

Business Strategy Analyst

This Singtel partnership enhances Twilio's competitive positioning in Southeast Asia by addressing two critical market dynamics: increasing consumer demand for trusted digital communications and businesses' need for richer customer engagement tools. By entering Singapore as their first Asian RCS market, Twilio establishes a strategic foothold in a technologically advanced economy that often serves as an entry point for broader regional expansion.

The partnership structure leverages complementary strengths - Twilio's communications platform technology paired with Singtel's established carrier network and local business relationships. For Singapore businesses, this creates an accessible path to enhanced customer communications without significant implementation costs or technical complexity.

Consumer trust metrics cited in the announcement are particularly compelling in the context of rising digital fraud concerns. When 68% of consumers report that branded messaging enhances perceived trustworthiness, this creates a quantifiable business case for adoption beyond just the richer media capabilities. The verification system addresses a legitimate market need while potentially reducing customer support costs related to verification queries.

For established Twilio customers operating in Singapore, this represents a seamless enhancement to existing communication workflows. For Singtel, this adds a differentiated business communications offering that leverages their carrier network. While this specific partnership announcement is unlikely to immediately impact Twilio's overall financial performance materially, it demonstrates continued execution on their global expansion strategy and product portfolio diversification.

Interactive and trusted messaging builds trust and strengthens customer engagement

SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Twilio (NYSE: TWLO), the customer engagement platform that drives real-time, personalised experiences for today’s leading brands, is partnering with Singtel, Asia’s leading communications technology group to offer businesses in Singapore a platform to connect with their customers through secure and branded messaging, directly in their mobile inboxes.

With consumer expectations around data privacy and security on the rise, businesses worldwide need to establish trust with customers when interacting with them – and Rich Communications Services (RCS) Business Messaging has emerged as an avenue for brands to accomplish that. In Singapore, Twilio’s 2024 Consumer Preferences report found that nearly 8 in 10 Singapore consumers (79%) will trust a brand’s communication more if it includes a verification badge, while almost 7 in 10 (68%) report that receiving a branded text message will make a brand more trustworthy.

“As consumers grow increasingly savvy and discerning, they demand trusted and immersive experiences at every touchpoint. RCS messaging offers an enhanced alternative to SMS and bridges the gap between traditional messaging and the interactive experiences offered by over-the-top channels. It provides the perfect solution to deliver interactive, dynamic communications while assuring customers of the sender’s identity,” said Robert Woolfrey, Vice President, APJ, Communications at Twilio. “We’re thrilled to partner with Singtel to empower businesses in Singapore to deliver exceptional customer experiences and foster trusted, meaningful relationships.”

“Businesses in Singapore must adapt to the evolving expectations of consumers who are seeking more immersive interactions, especially through their mobile devices. Our partnership with Twilio, enables businesses in Singapore to tap on RCS messaging to deliver rich and interactive communications that can improve their engagement with their customers in new and exciting ways,” said Terence Lai, VP of Digitalisation, Products and Partnerships at Singtel.

Twilio makes it simple to start leveraging and benefitting from RCS:

• Automatic upgrade: Twilio intelligently upgrades SMS messages to RCS on supported devices. RCS messages up to 160 UTF-8 characters are priced the same as standard SMS making it a cost-effective upgrade.
• Immediate testing: Branded profiles can be built directly in the Twilio Console to begin testing with designated devices immediately.
• Zero code changes: Once the sender is approved, it can be activated in the Console without any code modifications, API integrations, or changes in configurations. Twilio manages registration and onboarding with international carriers, capability checks, and provides tools to ensure messages are delivered over SMS when RCS is not available.
• Improved Metrics: Businesses can leverage valuable data and insights into customer engagement including RCS read receipts within existing Twilio dashboards.

Singapore marks the first Asian country where Twilio is offering RCS Business Messaging (RBM). Businesses across diverse sectors in the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil, and other countries are already using Twilio's RBM solutions to improve customer engagement. This expansion into Singapore underscores Twilio's commitment to bringing rich, interactive messaging capabilities to more businesses globally.

For more information on Twilio’s RCS services and how they can empower your brand to deliver trusted, personalised communications at scale, please visit Twilio’s website.

About Twilio

Today's leading companies trust Twilio's Customer Engagement Platform (CEP) to build direct, personalized relationships with their customers everywhere in the world. Twilio enables companies to use communications and data to add intelligence and security to every step of the customer journey, from sales to marketing to growth, customer service and many more engagement use cases in a flexible, programmatic way. Across 180 countries, millions of developers and hundreds of thousands of businesses use Twilio to create magical experiences for their customers. For more information about Twilio (NYSE: TWLO), visit: www.twilio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250227016336/en/

Shelina Mahtani (APJ PR Lead)

smahtani@twilio.com

Source: Twilio

FAQ

What are the key benefits of Twilio's RCS Business Messaging partnership with Singtel?

The partnership enables Singapore businesses to send verified, branded messages directly to mobile inboxes, with automatic SMS-to-RCS upgrades, immediate testing capabilities, and enhanced tracking metrics.

How much do Singapore consumers trust branded messaging according to Twilio's 2024 report?

79% of Singapore consumers trust brand communications more with verification badges, while 68% find branded text messages more trustworthy.

What are the pricing details for Twilio's RCS messaging service?

RCS messages up to 160 UTF-8 characters are priced the same as standard SMS messages.

Which countries already use Twilio's RCS Business Messaging besides Singapore?

Twilio's RBM solutions are already used in the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil, and other countries.